The house looked and smelled very old.
Eleven-year-old Vinnie didn’t want to live there.
Neither did his nine-year-old sister, Mandy.
But the children had no choice.
Six months ago their parents gave them some shocking news.
“We’re moving to the country,” they announced.
“Why?” asked the startled children.
“You need the fresh air,” Mom explained.
“You’re going to love the new house,” added Dad.
“But what about our friends?" Vinnie and Mandy cried.
“You’ll make new ones,” said Mom firmly.
The family arrived at their “new” house.
It was actually a hundred years old.
It needed many repairs.
Mom and Dad got busy painting the outside of the house.
Vinnie and Mandy had lots to do inside.
“Vinnie?” Mandy walked into the living room.
Her brother was tearing old wallpaper from the wall.
“What?” he asked, annoyed at everything.
Vinnie threw down the scraper.
“This is a stupid house!”
“Well, complaining isn’t going to help,” said Mandy.
Vinnie shrugged.
“Dad said I have to clean out the attic,” Mandy continued.
“But I’m scared to go up there by myself.”
“You aren’t afraid of ghosts, are you?”
Vinnie grabbed an old sheet from one of the chairs.
He pulled it over his head.
Flinging his arms in the air, he made scary noises.
Grinning, Mandy pulled the sheet off Vinnie’s head.
“Will you come with me or not?” she asked.
Vinnie led the way upstairs.
In the dusty attic, they were surrounded by books, maps, and cobwebs.
Vinnie did not like spiders.
He brushed a sticky spider web off his face.
Mandy was more interested in the books.
They were everywhere—in boxes, on shelves, and in tall piles against the wall.
“Oh!” she said clapping her hands excitedly.
Mandy loved to read.
“Do we know anything about the owner of this house?” she asked.
Vinnie shook his head.
“Maybe he was a writer.”
Then he looked around for creepy spiders.
Mandy read the book titles in one box.
All the books were about history or traveling.
“Well, he must have loved history,” she said.
Vinnie walked over to a shelf of books.
“Mandy, look at this!” Vinnie called, excitedly.
He held a thick, dusty green album.
The children flipped through the first few pages.
Each page had one black-and-white photograph.
Something was written below each photo.
“I wonder if this is the owner.”
Mandy pointed to the elderly man in one of the pictures.
He had a friendly smile.
Vinnie turned to the first page.
“Hey, Mandy,” said Vinnie, “look at this one.
He’s in a boat and . . ."
Vinnie looked closer.
“Cool! Here’s a pyramid and an eagle in the background.
He must be in Egypt."
“Vinnie, this picture is . . ." Mandy paused. “different.”
“What do you mean?” asked Vinnie.
Mandy rubbed her eyes and stared at the photo again.
“Look at the pyramid,” she whispered. “It’s glowing.”